Among the conventionally-known front vehicle body structures are one disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-51440 (hereinafter referred to as “patent literature 1”), which includes first impact absorbing sections provided on the front surface of a vehicle and second impact absorbing sections provided under the first impact absorbing sections. The front vehicle body structure disclosed in patent literature 1 is constructed in such a manner that an external impact applied from the front of the vehicle can be absorbed through cooperation between the first impact absorbing sections provided at the distal ends of front side frames extending along front wheels and the second impact absorbing sections provided at the distal ends of lower apron members (beams) disposed under the front side frames.
However, with the front vehicle body structure disclosed in patent literature 1, an impact absorbing amount achieved by the lower apron members (beams) may sometimes become small. Namely, because an impact (load) input to the lower apron members transmits straightly from the lower apron members to a suspension frame (i.e., sub frame) interconnecting respective bases of the lower apron members, the lower apron members have a great buckling strength so that they cannot sufficiently absorb the impact. Further, if an impact input to the front surface of the vehicle cannot be sufficiently absorbed, there would arise a need to increase a front-rear length (crushable zone) of the front body structure.
Also known is a front vehicle body structure which includes an impact absorbing member inside the front surface of the vehicle, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 4521403 (hereinafter referred to as “patent literature 2”). In the front vehicle body structure disclosed in patent literature 2, left and right side supporting struts project from left and right longitudinal arms that are disposed under left and right front side frames extending along left and right front wheels and extend in a front-right direction of the vehicle, and a bar extending in a left-right direction of the vehicle is mounted to the respective distal (front) ends of the side supporting posts. Further, a center supporting strut is connected to a central portion of the bar in parallel to the side supporting struts and supported via the longitudinal arms.
However, in the front vehicle body structure disclosed in patent literature 2, which is constructed in such a manner that an impact input to the front surface transmits from the left and right side supporting struts straightly to the left and right longitudinal arms extending in the front-right direction, the left and right longitudinal arms would have a great buckling strength and thus cannot sufficiently absorb the input impact. Further, if an impact input to the front surface of the vehicle cannot be sufficiently absorbed like this, there would arise a need to increase a front-rear length (crushable zone) of the front body structure.